The NFL and NFLPA agreed to push back Ray Rice’s appeal of his indefinite suspension on Wednesday after the union announced plans to conduct its own investigation.

The NFLPA hired former federal prosecutor Richard Craig Smith, the head of regulatory and governmental investigation at the firm of Norton Rose Fulbright, to conduct an investigation surrounding the “due process, discipline, facts and conduct” of the league office and the Baltimore Ravens that led to Rice’s indefinite suspension.

“As a former federal prosecutor, Mr. Smith brings tremendous experience and expertise,” the NFLPA said in a statement. “The NFLPA will request that the NFL and the Baltimore Ravens cooperate in the interest of transparency.”

Rice was initially suspended for two games for violating the NFL personal-conduct policy for his domestic violence incident. But then Rice’s suspension was increased after a second video surfaced of him knocking out his then-fiancee, Janay Palmer, whom he later married, in the elevator of an Atlantic City casino in February.

NFL commissioner Roger Goodell wrote in a disciplinary letter that the second video constituted new evidence that didn’t mesh with the version of events Rice told him.

Rice will contend that he told the truth to the Ravens and the NFL in his meetings with them, according to the Baltimore Sun.

The newspaper reported that the NFLPA is expected to focus a large part of their argument on Article 46 of the NFL collective bargaining agreement dealing with “One Punishment,” which prohibits the NFL and teams from punishing a player for more than one offense.

On Sept. 10, the NFL retained former FBI director Robert S. Mueller III to lead an independent investigation into the league’s handling of the Rice case. The investigation will be overseen by Pittsburgh Steelers owner Art Rooney and New York Giants owner John Mara.

Goodell has pledged full cooperation with Mueller, including access to all NFL records. The final report will be made public.

For the first time in more than a week, Goodell addressed domestic violence issues and the NFL personal-conduct policy during a Friday news conference in New York.

With his integrity in question, and possibly his job as commissioner on the line, Goodell said “he got it wrong” when it came to the Rice incident. Goodell promised he “will get it right” going forward.

“We have seen all too much of the NFL doing wrong,” Goodell said. “That starts with me.”